Adjustable spacing formatter head

ABSTRACT

An apparatus, according to one embodiment, includes a magnetic head having a plurality of servo writer elements, and an actuator, the actuator being sandwiched between first and second servo writer elements of the plurality of servo writer elements. The actuator is also configured to actively adjust a distance between the first and second servo writer elements. Other systems, methods, and computer program products are described in additional embodiments.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to data storage systems, and moreparticularly, this invention relates to servo track formatter headshaving adjustable spacing offsets between the servo tracks.

In magnetic storage systems, magnetic transducers read data from andwrite data onto magnetic recording media. Data is written on themagnetic recording media by moving a magnetic recording transducer to aposition over the media where the data is to be stored. The magneticrecording transducer then generates a magnetic field, which encodes thedata into the magnetic media. Data is read from the media by similarlypositioning the magnetic read transducer and then sensing the magneticfield of the magnetic media. Read and write operations may beindependently synchronized with the movement of the media to ensure thatthe data can be read from and written to the desired location on themedia.

An important and continuing goal in the data storage industry is that ofincreasing the density of data stored on a medium. For tape storagesystems, that goal has led to increasing the track and linear bitdensity on recording tape, and decreasing the thickness of the magnetictape medium. However, the development of small footprint, higherperformance tape drive systems has created various problems in thedesign of a tape head assembly for use in such systems.

In a tape drive system, the drive moves the magnetic tape over thesurface of the tape head at high speed. Usually the tape head isdesigned to minimize the spacing between the head and the tape. Thespacing between the magnetic head and the magnetic tape is crucial andso goals in these systems are to have the recording gaps of thetransducers, which are the source of the magnetic recording flux in nearcontact with the tape to effect writing sharp transitions, and to havethe read elements in near contact with the tape to provide effectivecoupling of the magnetic field from the tape to the read elements.

BRIEF SUMMARY

An apparatus, according to one embodiment, includes a magnetic headhaving a plurality of servo writer elements, and an actuator, theactuator being sandwiched between first and second servo writer elementsof the plurality of servo writer elements. The actuator is alsoconfigured to actively adjust a distance between the first and secondservo writer elements.

A method, according to another embodiment, includes determining anactual spacing between at least two servo tracks written on a magnetictape by at least two servo writer elements, comparing the actual spacingwith an intended spacing between the at least two servo tracks, andusing at least one actuator sandwiched between the servo writer elementsto adjust a distance between the servo writer elements of a magnetichead in response to determining that a difference between the actualspacing and the intended spacing is within a predetermined range.

A computer program product, according to yet another embodiment,includes a computer readable storage medium having program instructionsembodied therewith, the program instructions readable and/or executableby a controller to cause the controller to: determine, by thecontroller, an actual spacing between at least two servo tracks writtenon a magnetic tape by at least two servo writer elements, compare, bythe controller, the actual spacing with an intended spacing between theat least two servo tracks, and use, by the controller, at least oneactuator sandwiched between the servo writer elements to adjust adistance between the servo writer elements of a magnetic head inresponse to determining that a difference between the actual spacing andthe intended spacing is within a predetermined range.

Any of these embodiments may be implemented in a magnetic data storagesystem such as a tape drive system, which may include a magnetic head, adrive mechanism for passing a magnetic medium (e.g., recording tape)over the magnetic head, and a controller electrically coupled to themagnetic head.

Other aspects and embodiments of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description, which, when taken inconjunction with the drawings, illustrate by way of example theprinciples of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a simplified tape drive systemaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of a tape cartridge according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of a flat-lapped, bi-directional,two-module magnetic tape head according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2A is a tape bearing surface view taken from Line 2A of FIG. 2.

FIG. 2B is a detailed view taken from Circle 2B of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2C is a detailed view of a partial tape bearing surface of a pairof modules.

FIG. 3 is a partial tape bearing surface view of a magnetic head havinga write-read-write configuration.

FIG. 4 is a partial tape bearing surface view of a magnetic head havinga read-write-read configuration.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a magnetic tape head with three modulesaccording to one embodiment where the modules all generally lie alongabout parallel planes.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a magnetic tape head with three modules in atangent (angled) configuration.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a magnetic tape head with three modules in anoverwrap configuration.

FIG. 8A is a simplified diagram depicting a module of a magnetic tapehead above a tape having a nominal state of expansion.

FIGS. 8B-8C are simplified diagrams depicting the effect of tape lateralcontraction and expansion relative to a module of a magnetic tape head.

FIG. 9A is a top-down view of an apparatus according to one embodiment.

FIG. 9B is a partial perspective view of an apparatus according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 10 is a partial top-down view of a magnetic medium according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a method according to one embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a representational view of a servo frame according to oneembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is made for the purpose of illustrating thegeneral principles of the present invention and is not meant to limitthe inventive concepts claimed herein. Further, particular featuresdescribed herein can be used in combination with other describedfeatures in each of the various possible combinations and permutations.

Unless otherwise specifically defined herein, all terms are to be giventheir broadest possible interpretation including meanings implied fromthe specification as well as meanings understood by those skilled in theart and/or as defined in dictionaries, treatises, etc.

It must also be noted that, as used in the specification and theappended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include pluralreferents unless otherwise specified.

The following description discloses several preferred embodiments ofmagnetic storage systems, as well as operation and/or component partsthereof.

In one general embodiment, an apparatus includes a magnetic head havinga plurality of servo writer elements, and an actuator, the actuatorbeing sandwiched between first and second servo writer elements of theplurality of servo writer elements. The actuator is also configured toactively adjust a distance between the first and second servo writerelements.

In another general embodiment, a method includes determining an actualspacing between at least two servo tracks written on a magnetic tape byat least two servo writer elements, comparing the actual spacing with anintended spacing between the at least two servo tracks, and using atleast one actuator sandwiched between the servo writer elements toadjust a distance between the servo writer elements of a magnetic headin response to determining that a difference between the actual spacingand the intended spacing is within a predetermined range.

In yet another general embodiment, a computer program product includes acomputer readable storage medium having program instructions embodiedtherewith, the program instructions readable and/or executable by acontroller to cause the controller to: determine, by the controller, anactual spacing between at least two servo tracks written on a magnetictape by at least two servo writer elements, compare, by the controller,the actual spacing with an intended spacing between the at least twoservo tracks, and use, by the controller, at least one actuatorsandwiched between the servo writer elements to adjust a distancebetween the servo writer elements of a magnetic head in response todetermining that a difference between the actual spacing and theintended spacing is within a predetermined range.

FIG. 1A illustrates a simplified tape drive 100 of a tape-based datastorage system, which may be employed in the context of the presentinvention. While one specific implementation of a tape drive is shown inFIG. 1A, it should be noted that the embodiments described herein may beimplemented in the context of any type of tape drive system.

As shown, a tape supply cartridge 120 and a take-up reel 121 areprovided to support a tape 122. One or more of the reels may form partof a removable cartridge and are not necessarily part of the drive 100.The tape drive, such as that illustrated in FIG. 1A, may further includedrive motor(s) to drive the tape supply cartridge 120 and the take-upreel 121 to move the tape 122 over a tape head 126 of any type. Suchhead may include an array of readers, writers, or both.

Guides 125 guide the tape 122 across the tape head 126. Such tape head126 is in turn coupled to a controller 128 via a cable 130. Thecontroller 128, may be or include a processor and/or any logic forcontrolling any subsystem of the drive 100. For example, the controller128 typically controls head functions such as servo following, datawriting, data reading, etc. The controller 128 may include at least oneservo channel and at least one data channel, each of which include dataflow processing logic configured to process and/or store information tobe written to and/or read from the tape 122. The controller 128 mayoperate under logic known in the art, as well as any logic disclosedherein, and thus may be considered as a processor for any of thedescriptions of tape drives included herein, in various embodiments. Thecontroller 128 may be coupled to a memory 136 of any known type, whichmay store instructions executable by the controller 128. Moreover, thecontroller 128 may be configured and/or programmable to perform orcontrol some or all of the methodology presented herein. Thus, thecontroller 128 may be considered to be configured to perform variousoperations by way of logic programmed into one or more chips, modules,and/or blocks; software, firmware, and/or other instructions beingavailable to one or more processors; etc., and combinations thereof.

The cable 130 may include read/write circuits to transmit data to thehead 126 to be recorded on the tape 122 and to receive data read by thehead 126 from the tape 122. An actuator 132 controls position of thehead 126 relative to the tape 122.

An interface 134 may also be provided for communication between the tapedrive 100 and a host (internal or external) to send and receive the dataand for controlling the operation of the tape drive 100 andcommunicating the status of the tape drive 100 to the host, all as willbe understood by those of skill in the art.

FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary tape cartridge 150 according to oneembodiment. Such tape cartridge 150 may be used with a system such asthat shown in FIG. 1A. As shown, the tape cartridge 150 includes ahousing 152, a tape 122 in the housing 152, and a nonvolatile memory 156coupled to the housing 152. In some approaches, the nonvolatile memory156 may be embedded inside the housing 152, as shown in FIG. 1B. In moreapproaches, the nonvolatile memory 156 may be attached to the inside oroutside of the housing 152 without modification of the housing 152. Forexample, the nonvolatile memory may be embedded in a self-adhesive label154. In one preferred embodiment, the nonvolatile memory 156 may be aFlash memory device, ROM device, etc., embedded into or coupled to theinside or outside of the tape cartridge 150. The nonvolatile memory isaccessible by the tape drive and the tape operating software (the driversoftware), and/or other device.

By way of example, FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of a flat-lapped,bi-directional, two-module magnetic tape head 200 which may beimplemented in the context of the present invention. As shown, the headincludes a pair of bases 202, each equipped with a module 204, and fixedat a small angle α with respect to each other. The bases may be“U-beams” that are adhesively coupled together. Each module 204 includesa substrate 204A and a closure 204B with a thin film portion, commonlyreferred to as a “gap” in which the readers and/or writers 206 areformed. In use, a tape 208 is moved over the modules 204 along a media(tape) bearing surface 209 in the manner shown for reading and writingdata on the tape 208 using the readers and writers. The wrap angle θ ofthe tape 208 at edges going onto and exiting the flat media supportsurfaces 209 are usually between about 0.1 degree and about 3 degrees.

The substrates 204A are typically constructed of a wear resistantmaterial, such as a ceramic. The closures 204B may be made of the sameor similar ceramic as the substrates 204A.

The readers and writers may be arranged in a piggyback or mergedconfiguration. An illustrative piggybacked configuration comprises a(magnetically inductive) writer transducer on top of (or below) a(magnetically shielded) reader transducer (e.g., a magnetoresistivereader, etc.), wherein the poles of the writer and the shields of thereader are generally separated. An illustrative merged configurationcomprises one reader shield in the same physical layer as one writerpole (hence, “merged”). The readers and writers may also be arranged inan interleaved configuration. Alternatively, each array of channels maybe readers or writers only. Any of these arrays may contain one or moreservo track readers for reading servo data on the medium.

FIG. 2A illustrates the tape bearing surface 209 of one of the modules204 taken from Line 2A of FIG. 2. A representative tape 208 is shown indashed lines. The module 204 is preferably long enough to be able tosupport the tape as the head steps between data bands.

In this example, the tape 208 includes 4 to 32 data bands, e.g., with 16data bands and 17 servo tracks 210, as shown in FIG. 2A on a one-halfinch wide tape 208. The data bands are defined between servo tracks 210.Each data band may include a number of data tracks, for example 1024data tracks (not shown). During read/write operations, the readersand/or writers 206 are positioned to specific track positions within oneof the data bands. Outer readers, sometimes called servo readers, readthe servo tracks 210. The servo signals are in turn used to keep thereaders and/or writers 206 aligned with a particular set of tracksduring the read/write operations.

FIG. 2B depicts a plurality of readers and/or writers 206 formed in agap 218 on the module 204 in Circle 2B of FIG. 2A. As shown, the arrayof readers and writers 206 includes, for example, 16 writers 214, 16readers 216 and two servo readers 212, though the number of elements mayvary. Illustrative embodiments include 8, 16, 32, 40, and 64 activereaders and/or writers 206 per array, and alternatively interleaveddesigns having odd numbers of reader or writers such as 17, 25, 33, etc.An illustrative embodiment includes 32 readers per array and/or 32writers per array, where the actual number of transducer elements couldbe greater, e.g., 33, 34, etc. This allows the tape to travel moreslowly, thereby reducing speed-induced tracking and mechanicaldifficulties and/or execute fewer “wraps” to fill or read the tape.While the readers and writers may be arranged in a piggybackconfiguration as shown in FIG. 2B, the readers 216 and writers 214 mayalso be arranged in an interleaved configuration. Alternatively, eacharray of readers and/or writers 206 may be readers or writers only, andthe arrays may contain one or more servo readers 212. As noted byconsidering FIGS. 2 and 2A-B together, each module 204 may include acomplementary set of readers and/or writers 206 for such things asbi-directional reading and writing, read-while-write capability,backward compatibility, etc.

FIG. 2C shows a partial tape bearing surface view of complementarymodules of a magnetic tape head 200 according to one embodiment. In thisembodiment, each module has a plurality of read/write (R/W) pairs in apiggyback configuration formed on a common substrate 204A and anoptional electrically insulative layer 236. The writers, exemplified bythe write transducer 214 and the readers, exemplified by the readtransducer 216, are aligned parallel to an intended direction of travelof a tape medium thereacross to form an R/W pair, exemplified by the R/Wpair 222. Note that the intended direction of tape travel is sometimesreferred to herein as the direction of tape travel, and such terms maybe used interchangeably. Such direction of tape travel may be inferredfrom the design of the system, e.g., by examining the guides; observingthe actual direction of tape travel relative to the reference point;etc. Moreover, in a system operable for bi-direction reading and/orwriting, the direction of tape travel in both directions is typicallyparallel and thus both directions may be considered equivalent to eachother.

Several R/W pairs 222 may be present, such as 8, 16, 32 pairs, etc. TheR/W pairs 222 as shown are linearly aligned in a direction generallyperpendicular to a direction of tape travel thereacross. However, thepairs may also be aligned diagonally, etc. Servo readers 212 arepositioned on the outside of the array of R/W pairs, the function ofwhich is well known.

Generally, the magnetic tape medium moves in either a forward or reversedirection as indicated by arrow 220. The magnetic tape medium and headassembly 200 operate in a transducing relationship in the mannerwell-known in the art. The piggybacked MR head assembly 200 includes twothin-film modules 224 and 226 of generally identical construction.

Modules 224 and 226 are joined together with a space present betweenclosures 204B thereof (partially shown) to form a single physical unitto provide read-while-write capability by activating the writer of theleading module and reader of the trailing module aligned with the writerof the leading module parallel to the direction of tape travel relativethereto. When a module 224, 226 of a piggyback head 200 is constructed,layers are formed in the gap 218 created above an electricallyconductive substrate 204A (partially shown), e.g., of AlTiC, ingenerally the following order for the R/W pairs 222: an insulating layer236, a first shield 232 typically of an iron alloy such as NiFe(—), CZTor Al—Fe—Si (Sendust), a sensor 234 for sensing a data track on amagnetic medium, a second shield 238 typically of a nickel-iron alloy(e.g., ˜80/20 at % NiFe, also known as permalloy), first and secondwriter pole tips 228, 230, and a coil (not shown). The sensor may be ofany known type, including those based on MR, GMR, AMR, tunnelingmagnetoresistance (TMR), etc.

The first and second writer poles 228, 230 may be fabricated from highmagnetic moment materials such as ˜45/55 NiFe. Note that these materialsare provided by way of example only, and other materials may be used.Additional layers such as insulation between the shields and/or poletips and an insulation layer surrounding the sensor may be present.Illustrative materials for the insulation include alumina and otheroxides, insulative polymers, etc.

The configuration of the tape head 126 according to one embodimentincludes multiple modules, preferably three or more. In awrite-read-write (W-R-W) head, outer modules for writing flank one ormore inner modules for reading. Referring to FIG. 3, depicting a W-R-Wconfiguration, the outer modules 252, 256 each include one or morearrays of writers 260. The inner module 254 of FIG. 3 includes one ormore arrays of readers 258 in a similar configuration. Variations of amulti-module head include a R-W-R head (FIG. 4), a R-R-W head, a W-W-Rhead, etc. In yet other variations, one or more of the modules may haveread/write pairs of transducers. Moreover, more than three modules maybe present. In further approaches, two outer modules may flank two ormore inner modules, e.g., in a W-R-R-W, a R-W-W-R arrangement, etc. Forsimplicity, a W-R-W head is used primarily herein to exemplifyembodiments of the present invention. One skilled in the art apprisedwith the teachings herein will appreciate how permutations of thepresent invention would apply to configurations other than a W-R-Wconfiguration.

FIG. 5 illustrates a magnetic head 126 according to one embodiment ofthe present invention that includes first, second and third modules 302,304, 306 each having a tape bearing surface 308, 310, 312 respectively,which may be flat, contoured, etc. Note that while the term “tapebearing surface” appears to imply that the surface facing the tape 315is in physical contact with the tape bearing surface, this is notnecessarily the case. Rather, only a portion of the tape may be incontact with the tape bearing surface, constantly or intermittently,with other portions of the tape riding (or “flying”) above the tapebearing surface on a layer of air, sometimes referred to as an “airbearing”. The first module 302 will be referred to as the “leading”module as it is the first module encountered by the tape in a threemodule design for tape moving in the indicated direction. The thirdmodule 306 will be referred to as the “trailing” module. The trailingmodule follows the middle module and is the last module seen by the tapein a three module design. The leading and trailing modules 302, 306 arereferred to collectively as outer modules. Also note that the outermodules 302, 306 will alternate as leading modules, depending on thedirection of travel of the tape 315.

In one embodiment, the tape bearing surfaces 308, 310, 312 of the first,second and third modules 302, 304, 306 lie on about parallel planes(which is meant to include parallel and nearly parallel planes, e.g.,between parallel and tangential as in FIG. 6), and the tape bearingsurface 310 of the second module 304 is above the tape bearing surfaces308, 312 of the first and third modules 302, 306. As described below,this has the effect of creating the desired wrap angle α₂ of the taperelative to the tape bearing surface 310 of the second module 304.

Where the tape bearing surfaces 308, 310, 312 lie along parallel ornearly parallel yet offset planes, intuitively, the tape should peel offof the tape bearing surface 308 of the leading module 302. However, thevacuum created by the skiving edge 318 of the leading module 302 hasbeen found by experimentation to be sufficient to keep the tape adheredto the tape bearing surface 308 of the leading module 302. The trailingedge 320 of the leading module 302 (the end from which the tape leavesthe leading module 302) is the approximate reference point which definesthe wrap angle α₂ over the tape bearing surface 310 of the second module304. The tape stays in close proximity to the tape bearing surface untilclose to the trailing edge 320 of the leading module 302. Accordingly,read and/or write elements 322 may be located near the trailing edges ofthe outer modules 302, 306. These embodiments are particularly adaptedfor write-read-write applications.

A benefit of this and other embodiments described herein is that,because the outer modules 302, 306 are fixed at a determined offset fromthe second module 304, the inner wrap angle α₂ is fixed when the modules302, 304, 306 are coupled together or are otherwise fixed into a head.The inner wrap angle α₂ is approximately tan⁻¹(δ/W) where δ is theheight difference between the planes of the tape bearing surfaces 308,310 and W is the width between the opposing ends of the tape bearingsurfaces 308, 310. An illustrative inner wrap angle α₂ is in a range ofabout 0.3° to about 1.1°, though can be any angle required by thedesign.

Beneficially, the inner wrap angle α₂ on the side of the module 304receiving the tape (leading edge) will be larger than the inner wrapangle α₃ on the trailing edge, as the tape 315 rides above the trailingmodule 306. This difference is generally beneficial as a smaller α₃tends to oppose what has heretofore been a steeper exiting effectivewrap angle.

Note that the tape bearing surfaces 308, 312 of the outer modules 302,306 are positioned to achieve a negative wrap angle at the trailing edge320 of the leading module 302. This is generally beneficial in helpingto reduce friction due to contact with the trailing edge 320, providedthat proper consideration is given to the location of the crowbar regionthat forms in the tape where it peels off the head. This negative wrapangle also reduces flutter and scrubbing damage to the elements on theleading module 302. Further, at the trailing module 306, the tape 315flies over the tape bearing surface 312 so there is virtually no wear onthe elements when tape is moving in this direction. Particularly, thetape 315 entrains air and so will not significantly ride on the tapebearing surface 312 of the third module 306 (some contact may occur).This is permissible, because the leading module 302 is writing while thetrailing module 306 is idle.

Writing and reading functions are performed by different modules at anygiven time. In one embodiment, the second module 304 includes aplurality of data and optional servo readers 331 and no writers. Thefirst and third modules 302, 306 include a plurality of writers 322 andno data readers, with the exception that the outer modules 302, 306 mayinclude optional servo readers. The servo readers may be used toposition the head during reading and/or writing operations. The servoreader(s) on each module are typically located towards the end of thearray of readers or writers.

By having only readers or side by side writers and servo readers in thegap between the substrate and closure, the gap length can besubstantially reduced. Typical heads have piggybacked readers andwriters, where the writer is formed above each reader. A typical gap is20-35 microns. However, irregularities on the tape may tend to droopinto the gap and create gap erosion. Thus, the smaller the gap is thebetter. The smaller gap enabled herein exhibits fewer wear relatedproblems.

In some embodiments, the second module 304 has a closure, while thefirst and third modules 302, 306 do not have a closure. Where there isno closure, preferably a hard coating is added to the module. Onepreferred coating is diamond-like carbon (DLC).

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the first, second, and third modules302, 304, 306 each have a closure 332, 334, 336, which extends the tapebearing surface of the associated module, thereby effectivelypositioning the read/write elements away from the edge of the tapebearing surface. The closure 332 on the second module 304 can be aceramic closure of a type typically found on tape heads. The closures334, 336 of the first and third modules 302, 306, however, may beshorter than the closure 332 of the second module 304 as measuredparallel to a direction of tape travel over the respective module. Thisenables positioning the modules closer together. One way to produceshorter closures 334, 336 is to lap the standard ceramic closures of thesecond module 304 an additional amount. Another way is to plate ordeposit thin film closures above the elements during thin filmprocessing. For example, a thin film closure of a hard material such asSendust or nickel-iron alloy (e.g., 45/55) can be formed on the module.

With reduced-thickness ceramic or thin film closures 334, 336 or noclosures on the outer modules 302, 306, the write-to-read gap spacingcan be reduced to less than about 1 mm, e.g., about 0.75 mm, or 50% lessthan commonly-used Linear Tape Open (LTO) tape head spacing. The openspace between the modules 302, 304, 306 can still be set toapproximately 0.5 to 0.6 mm, which in some embodiments is ideal forstabilizing tape motion over the second module 304.

Depending on tape tension and stiffness, it may be desirable to anglethe tape bearing surfaces of the outer modules relative to the tapebearing surface of the second module. FIG. 6 illustrates an embodimentwhere the modules 302, 304, 306 are in a tangent or nearly tangent(angled) configuration. Particularly, the tape bearing surfaces of theouter modules 302, 306 are about parallel to the tape at the desiredwrap angle α₂ of the second module 304. In other words, the planes ofthe tape bearing surfaces 308, 312 of the outer modules 302, 306 areoriented at about the desired wrap angle α₂ of the tape 315 relative tothe second module 304. The tape will also pop off of the trailing module306 in this embodiment, thereby reducing wear on the elements in thetrailing module 306. These embodiments are particularly useful forwrite-read-write applications. Additional aspects of these embodimentsare similar to those given above.

Typically, the tape wrap angles may be set about midway between theembodiments shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIG. 7 illustrates an embodiment where the modules 302, 304, 306 are inan overwrap configuration. Particularly, the tape bearing surfaces 308,312 of the outer modules 302, 306 are angled slightly more than the tape315 when set at the desired wrap angle α₂ relative to the second module304. In this embodiment, the tape does not pop off of the trailingmodule, allowing it to be used for writing or reading. Accordingly, theleading and middle modules can both perform reading and/or writingfunctions while the trailing module can read any just-written data.Thus, these embodiments are preferred for write-read-write,read-write-read, and write-write-read applications. In the latterembodiments, closures should be wider than the tape canopies forensuring read capability. The wider closures may require a widergap-to-gap separation. Therefore a preferred embodiment has awrite-read-write configuration, which may use shortened closures thatthus allow closer gap-to-gap separation.

Additional aspects of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 are similarto those given above.

A 32 channel version of a multi-module head 126 may use cables 350having leads on the same or smaller pitch as current 16 channelpiggyback LTO modules, or alternatively the connections on the modulemay be organ-keyboarded for a 50% reduction in cable span. Over-under,writing pair unshielded cables may be used for the writers, which mayhave integrated servo readers.

The outer wrap angles α₁ may be set in the drive, such as by guides ofany type known in the art, such as adjustable rollers, slides, etc. oralternatively by outriggers, which are integral to the head. Forexample, rollers having an offset axis may be used to set the wrapangles. The offset axis creates an orbital arc of rotation, allowingprecise alignment of the wrap angle α₁.

To assemble any of the embodiments described above, conventional u-beamassembly can be used. Accordingly, the mass of the resultant head may bemaintained or even reduced relative to heads of previous generations. Inother approaches, the modules may be constructed as a unitary body.Those skilled in the art, armed with the present teachings, willappreciate that other known methods of manufacturing such heads may beadapted for use in constructing such heads. Moreover, unless otherwisespecified, processes and materials of types known in the art may beadapted for use in various embodiments in conformance with the teachingsherein, as would become apparent to one skilled in the art upon readingthe present disclosure.

As previously mentioned, data bands are typically defined on magnetictapes between servo tracks. Moreover, during read/write operations, datareaders and/or writers are preferably positioned to specific trackpositions within one of the data bands. Outer servo readers may be usedto read the servo tracks which sandwich the data band being read fromand/or written to as the tape travels in the intended direction of mediatravel. The servo signals may in turn be used to keep the readers and/orwriters aligned with a particular set of tracks in the data band duringthe read/write operations.

Tape dimensional instability (e.g., tape expansion and/or contraction)and lateral tape movement present challenges when writing servo tracksto magnetic tape. In an ideal situation, the tape drive system wouldalways be able to write servo tracks onto a tape in the ideal positionbased on servo track formatting characteristics, regardless of theextent of tape dimensional instability and/or lateral tape movement atany given time. However, as demonstrated in the following figures, tapedimensional instability, for example, provides challenges to writingservo tracks to magnetic tape.

FIGS. 8A-8C include representational illustrations of the effects thattape lateral contraction and expansion have on magnetic tape withrespect to transducer position relative thereto. FIG. 8A shows a head800 relative to a tape 802, where the tape has a nominal width. Asshown, the transducer 804 are aligned with the data tracks 806 on thetape 802. FIG. 8B shows the effect of tape lateral contraction. Asshown, the outermost transducers 808 are proximate to the outer edges ofthe outer data tracks. FIG. 8C shows the effect of tape lateralexpansion. As shown, the outermost transducer 808 are at least proximateto the inner edges of the outer data tracks. Because all of thetransducer 804 generally have the same width, the readback signal levelfrom each read transducer will normally be the same.

Although the representational illustrations of FIGS. 8A-8C are madeusing the relative position of transducers in relation to data tracks,similar effects are experienced by servo writer elements when formattingservo tracks. Tape expansion and/or contraction may cause servo writerelements to become offset from an intended position relative to tape,thereby causing the servo writer elements to write servo tracks out ofthe intended location on tape. It should also be noted that similarlyundesirable effects may be experienced as a result of tape lateralmovement, as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art upon readingthe present description.

These issues are further exacerbated in conventional products whichimplement time base servo patterns which have a fixed spacing betweenservo tracks in the crosstrack direction (the direction orthogonal tothe intended direction of media travel). As a result, althoughconventional products may have servo bands with unique patterns alongthe servo track in the intended direction of tape travel, theseconventional products have a fixed (unadjustable) spacing between eachof the servo tracks in the crosstrack direction. In other words, thedata bands of all tapes formatted by a common servo writer inconventional products have a fixed, unadjustable width in the crosstrackdirection.

In various embodiments described herein, the foregoing issues may beovercome by the introduced ability to selectively adjust the spacingbetween each of the servo writer elements, as will be described infurther detail below. For example, if the tape is in an expanded state,a system may expand the crosstrack spacing between one or more pair ofservo writer elements. If the tape is compressed, a system may contractthe crosstrack spacing between one or more pair of servo writerelements.

The capability of adjusting the distance which separates one servo trackfrom another servo track along the crosstrack direction can be used toimprove functionality in more than one way. For instance, the ability toselectively adjust the spacing between each of the servo track writersmay be used dynamically in a feedback control system such that, as theyare written, the formatted patterns of the servo tracks are read (e.g.,read-while-write functionality) with a reference head having a knowndistance separating each of the servo readers in the crosstrackdirection. The feedback control system may thereby be able to provideerror feedback to control the crosstrack separation between servotracks, e.g., to reduce readback errors, improve track following, etc.However, according to another example, enabling a servo formatter headto adjust the spacing between servo tracks may be used to encodeinformation, e.g., to enable identification of a data band being writtento and/or read from, without writing unique encoding pattern to eachservo band.

It follows that various embodiments described herein may additionallyintroduce the ability to encode information in the written servo tracksby selectively adjusting the spacing between each of the written servotracks, e.g., for timing based servo systems. According to preferredapproaches, these adjustments to the spacing between the servo tracks inthe crosstrack direction are achieved by implementing one or moreactuators amongst the servo track writers, e.g., on a magnetic head. Aswill soon become apparent, the actuators may include thermal,mechanical, and/or electrical mechanisms.

Looking to FIG. 9A, an apparatus 900 is illustrated in accordance withone embodiment. As an option, the present apparatus 900 may beimplemented in conjunction with features from any other embodimentlisted herein, such as those described with reference to the other FIGS.However, such apparatus 900 and others presented herein may be used invarious applications and/or in permutations which may or may not bespecifically described in the illustrative embodiments listed herein.Further, the apparatus 900 presented herein may be used in any desiredenvironment. Thus FIG. 9A (and the other FIGS.) may be deemed to includeany possible permutation.

The apparatus 900 includes a magnetic head 902 having a plurality ofservo writer elements 904. The servo writer elements 904 may be ofotherwise conventional design and/or construction. In one approach, eachservo writer element 904 may include a magnetic yoke having nonmagneticgaps arranged to write transitions to magnetic media upon application ofa current to a coil that provides flux to the yoke. In FIG. 9A, eachservo writer element has two gaps that together form two bars in achevron-like shape each time the coil is energized. A typical servopattern may include a series of the bars in each servo frame. Any knownservo pattern may by written by the servo writer element. Moreover, theservo writer elements 904 may be individually addressable, commonlyaddressed, or a combination thereof.

With continued reference to FIG. 9A, actuators 906 are sandwichedbetween pairs of the plurality of servo writer elements 904. Apparatus900 additionally includes a controller 908 electrically coupled to themagnetic head 902 and an optional read position verifier 914. The servoreaders 916 positioned on the read position verifier 914 may be used toenable read-while-write functionality, e.g., by determining thecrosstrack spacing between servo tracks by examining the timinginformation gathered from the servo track bursts as will be described infurther detail below.

It should be noted that the number of servo writer elements 904 and/oractuators 906 illustrated in the present embodiment are in no wayintended to limit the invention. Rather, the number of servo writerelements and/or actuators included in a given embodiment may varydepending on a number of different factors, including, but not limitedto, the type of magnetic media associated therewith (e.g., a mediageneration), desired functionality, etc. For example, while theembodiment of FIG. 9A illustrates an actuator 906 positioned betweeneach pair of servo writer elements 904, in other embodiments, a magnetichead may have at least two, at least three, at least four, multiple,etc., servo writer elements. Moreover, depending on the desiredembodiment, an actuator may be sandwiched between each adjacent pair ofthe servo writer elements, sandwiched between some of the adjacent pairsof the servo writer elements, sandwiched between one adjacent pair ofthe servo writer elements (e.g., see FIG. 9B), etc.

As mentioned above, the actuators 906 may be used to actively adjust adistance D, e.g., center-to-center pitch, between adjacent servo writerelements 904 in the crosstrack direction 910 (perpendicular to theintended direction of tape travel 912). The ability to adjust thedistance D separating the servo writer elements 904 allows for theapparatus 900 to selectively alter the crosstrack spacing betweenadjacent pairs of the servo tracks, thereby selectively altering thewidth of the data band defined between each pair of the servo tracks.

With continued reference to FIG. 9A, the ability to adjust the distanceD separating the servo writer elements 904 may allow for the apparatus900 to selectively alter the crosstrack spacing between adjacent pairsof the servo tracks to compensate for tape dimensional instabilityand/or tape lateral movement, as will be described in further detailbelow. This control enables a servo writing system to write servo tracksin the correct position despite lateral expansion/contraction or tapelateral movement.

In some embodiments, the crosstrack spacing between each pair of theservo tracks may be used to encode information. According to oneapproach, the crosstrack spacing between adjacent pairs of servo tracksmay be selected to encode information, e.g., pertaining to a databandpositioned between each of the pairs of the servo tracks. In otherapproaches, other information may be encoded by adjusting the crosstrackspacing between adjacent pairs of servo tracks as desired. It followsthat the spacing between each pair of servo writer elements may be usedto implement the encoded information when the servo tracks are writtento tape by the servo writer elements.

Depending on whether information is encoded by the spacing and/or on theinformation encoded by the spacing between each pair of servo tracks,the spacing between each pair of the servo tracks may be the same,similar and/or different than the spacing between remaining pairs of theservo tracks. In some approaches, the spacing between each pair of theservo tracks may be the same (e.g., substantially equal) between each ofthe servo writer element pairs, e.g., when formatting servo tracks ontapes compatible with particular tape formats. According to otherapproaches, the spacing between at least one pair of the servo tracksmay different than spacing between remaining pairs of the servo tracks,e.g., to distinguish the two from each other. Looking to FIG. 10, anexemplary magnetic tape 1000 is illustrated as having servo tracks 1002and data bands 1004 sandwiched therebetween. As shown, the crosstrackspacing between each adjacent pair of servo tracks 1002 is differentfrom each other by an offset from a normal crosstrack servo trackspacing Δ. Moreover, the offset from the normal crosstrack servo trackspacing A may be used to signify the corresponding number of the databand 1004. For example, Databand 1 of tape 1000 is signified by anoffset of +1 units from the normal crosstrack servo track spacing A inthe crosstrack direction 1006, while Databand 0 is signified by anoffset of −2 units from the normal crosstrack servo track spacing A inthe crosstrack direction 1006. The correlation between the spacingoffset and the corresponding data band 1004 may be stored in memory(e.g., in a lookup table). Moreover, the units and/or amount of theoffset by which adjacent pairs of servo tracks are separated ispreferably greater than an amount which may be achieved by tapedimensional instability and/or tape lateral movement. Thus, unintendedlateral offsets resulting from tape dimensional instability and/or tapelateral movement may not compromise the information encoded by the servotrack crosstrack separation offsets.

One or more of the actuators 906 (or any other actuator describedherein) may be piezoelectric actuators according to some embodiments.Thus, the one or more piezoelectric actuators may be used to adjust thedistance between adjacent ones of the servo writer elements 904 byexpanding or contracting in response to application of a voltagethereto. However, it should be noted that actuators of different typesmay be implemented in combination with or in replacement of thepiezoelectric actuators depending on the desired embodiment.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art upon reading thepresent description, piezoelectric actuators may expand and/or contractin a specified direction in response to application of a voltagethereto. Accordingly, in embodiments having piezoelectric actuators 906,the actuators 906 are preferably implemented such that expansions and/orcontractions occur in the crosstrack direction 910, thereby adjustingthe distance D between adjacent servo writer elements 904, therebyallowing for precise placement of servo pattern positions. Adjusting thedistance D between adjacent servo writer elements 904 may, in someapproaches, include shifting modules having one or more transducers(e.g., servo writer elements) attached thereto in the crosstrackdirection 910, (e.g., see FIG. 9B).

Moreover, depending on the approach, a different number of the servowriter elements 904 and/or the actuators 906 may be independentlyaddressable. For example, in some approaches, each of the servo writerelements 904 and each of the actuators 906 may be independentlyaddressable (e.g., see the description of Table 1 below). However, inother approaches, only a subset of the servo writer elements 904 and/ora subset of the actuators 906 may be independently addressable. Forexample, two or more of the servo writer elements 904 may be coupled toa common lead and may thereby write the same signal simultaneously.

The actuators 906 are preferably able to adjust the distance D betweenadjacent servo writer elements 904 by an offset (e.g., amount) which isgreater than a corresponding extent of tape dimensional instability(e.g., tape expansion and/or contraction) and/or lateral tape movement.In other words, a maximum amount which the actuators 906 are preferablyable to expand and/or contract by enables adjustment of the distance Dbetween adjacent servo writer elements 904 by an amount greater than thedistance between servo tracks caused by tape dimensional instabilityand/or lateral tape movement. It follows that, in addition to being ableto selectively adjust the spacing between adjacent ones of the servowriter elements 904, the actuators 906 may also be able to compensatefor tape dimensional instability and/or lateral tape movement.

The controller 908 may be used to implement adjustments made to thedistance D between adjacent servo writer elements 904. For instance,controller 908 may be used to control one or more of the actuators 906to compensate for tape dimensional instability and/or lateral tapemovement by expanding and/or contracting the one or more actuators 906to make adjustments to the distance D between adjacent servo writerelements 904. As servo tracks are being written to a magnetic tape, thewidth of the tape (in the crosstrack direction) may change based onfluctuations in humidity, temperature, tension, etc. Thus, by adjustingthe distance D separating one or more of the servo writer elements 904,the actuators are able to compensate for these changes in tape width andcorrespondingly write servo tracks at a desired (e.g., intended)position. An exemplary method of achieving a desired spacing between theservo writer elements is described below with reference to FIG. 12.

With continued reference to FIG. 9A, according to some approaches,adjustments may be made to distance D based on data gathered from theapparatus and its environment. For example, data gathered by a tape edgesensor or sensors electrically coupled to the controller 908 may be usedto control one or more of the actuators 906. The tape edge sensor mayoptically, mechanically, computationally (e.g., based on a readbacksignal), etc. determine where the edge of tape is located at a givenpoint in time relative to a reference (e.g., an intended tape edgelocation) and relay that information to the controller 908. Suppliedwith this edge of tape data, the controller may be able to makereal-time adjustments to the actuators 906 to compensate for undesirablepositioning of the tape edges. A known tape edge sensor may be used.

Additional adjustments may be made to compensate for the fringe effectscaused by expansion and/or contraction of the actuators 906. Forexample, as a first actuator is expanded or contracted, e.g., to encodedata via the distance D between the adjacent servo writer elements, thedistance D separating the adjacent pair of servo writer elements 904 isadjusted, but the overall length of the magnetic head itself is expandedor contracted as well. Thus, although the adjustment of the distance Dseparating the adjacent pair of servo writer elements 904 may bedesirable, this may cause an undesirable shift in the position of theremaining servo writer elements in relation to the remainder of thetape. Thus, to compensate for the expansion or contraction of theoverall length of the magnetic head caused by the first actuator, thecontroller may be able to adjust at least a second actuator.

According to an example, if the distance D separating an adjacent pairof servo writer elements 904 is increased resulting from an expansion ofa first actuator, outer ones of the servo writer elements 904 may beshifted off the edges of the tape in the crosstrack direction. Thus, thecontroller 908 may contract one or more of the remaining servo writerelements 904 such that the increased distance D (caused by the firstactuator) is preserved while also maintaining the intended overalllength L of the magnetic head.

As briefly described above, embodiments described herein may includedifferent numbers of actuators and/or servo writer elements. Looking tothe example of FIG. 9B, an apparatus 950 is illustrated in accordancewith one embodiment. As an option, the present apparatus 950 may beimplemented in conjunction with features from any other embodimentlisted herein, such as those described with reference to the other FIGS.Specifically, FIG. 9B illustrates a variation of the embodiment of FIG.9A depicting another exemplary configuration within a magnetic head 952.Accordingly, various components of FIG. 9B have common numbering withthose of FIG. 9A.

Such apparatus 950 and others presented herein may be used in variousapplications and/or in permutations which may or may not be specificallydescribed in the illustrative embodiments listed herein. Further, theapparatus 950 presented herein may be used in any desired environment.Thus FIG. 9B (and the other FIGS.) may be deemed to include any possiblepermutation.

The apparatus 950 of FIG. 9B includes a magnetic head 952 having servowriter elements 904 positioned on first and second modules 954, 956.Moreover, modules 954, 956 are separated by an actuator 906 positionedtherebetween. The actuator 906 effectively couples the modules 954, 956together along the longitudinal axis thereof, while additionallyenabling the ability to selectively adjust the distance D separating theadjacent pair of servo writer elements 904. In other words, sandwichingthe actuator 906 between the modules 954, 956 enables the actuator 906to adjust the separation between the modules 954, 956 along thelongitudinal axis thereof, thereby selectively adjusting distance D.

Actuator 906 may be coupled to first and second modules 954, 956 usingany of the approaches described above. For instance, actuator 906 may becoupled to the first module 954 and/or the second module 956 usingadhesives (e.g., mechanical adhesion, chemical adhesion, etc.),fasteners, etc. Thus, as the actuator expands and contracts during use,the modules 954, 956 remain coupled to the actuator 906 and are movedalong the longitudinal axes thereof by the expansion and contraction ofthe actuator 906 accordingly.

Different combinations of leads may be used to address the servo writerelements 904 of the modules 954, 956. According to the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 9B, servo writer elements 904 positioned on thefirst module 954 may be addressable by a first common lead 958 and servowriter elements 904 positioned on the second module 956 may beaddressable by a second common lead 960. Moreover, leads 958, 960 andactuator 906 are coupled to controller 908 which may be used to controlinformation (e.g., signals, servo write operations, changes in voltage,etc.) sent thereto. However, in other embodiments all servo writerelements 904 may be addressed by a common lead, each servo writerelement 904 may be addressed by a unique lead, etc. Depending on howmany leads are used to address each of the servo writer elements 904different amounts of data may be encoded in the servo tracks. In otherwords, each group of servo writer elements 904 independently addressableby a given lead may be programmed to encode data in the servo trackpatters written to the medium. For instance, each group of servo writerelements 904 may be prompted by the corresponding lead to shift servobars in each, every other, some, etc. of the servo frames (repeatingpatterned groups as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art)along the servo tracks in the intended direction of tape travel.

According to an example, which is in no way intended to limit theinvention, in some instances it may be desirable to ensure that thespacing between each pair of servo writer elements in the crosstrackdirection is about the same. As previously described, the variousembodiments described herein are preferably compatible with defined tapeformats (e.g., from existing tape generations) which may include equalspacing between each of the servo tracks along the crosstrack direction.Accordingly, any of the actuators described herein may includepiezoelectric actuators which may be expanded and/or contracted toachieve a desired crosstrack spacing that is the same between each ofthe servo writer element pairs when formatting servo tracks on tapeshaving these previous tape formats. Furthermore, the controller mayencode data by shifting servo bars in each, every other, some, etc. ofthe servo frames along the servo tracks in the intended direction oftape travel. Data encoded in the shifted servo bars in the servo framesalong the servo tracks may include a longitudinal position, tapemanufacturer information, format date/time, etc. Table 1 below shows anillustrative bit sequence corresponding to an example which is in no wayintended to limit the invention.

TABLE 1 Bit sequence Band 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 2 1 1 0 1 3 1 1 0 0 4 1 01 1

As shown, the different bit sequences represent a way data may beencoded into the servo patterns of the different servo tracks written byan apparatus having independently addressable servo writer elements(e.g., as seen in FIG. 9A). Furthermore, Table 2 shows an illustrativebit sequence corresponding to another example which is in no wayintended to limit the invention.

TABLE 2 Bit sequence Band 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 2 1 1 0 0 3 1 1 0 0 4 1 10 0

While Table 1 corresponds to an apparatus having servo writer elementswhich are each independently addressable, Table 2 corresponds to thecommon leads 958, 960 of apparatus 950. As shown the bit sequences forBands 0-1 are the same while the bit sequences for Bands 2-4 are thesame, but different than the bit sequences for Bands 0-1. As describedabove, servo writer elements 904 positioned on the first module 954 areaddressable by a first common lead 958 while servo writer elements 904positioned on the second module 956 are addressable by a second commonlead 960. Accordingly, servo writer elements sharing a common lead willreceive the same bit sequence.

It follows that servo readers may still glean servo data from the servotracks despite the equal crosstrack spacing between adjacent servotracks of previous tape formats in some embodiments. However, data mayalso be encoded in the servo frames along the servo tracks inembodiments implementing adjusted crosstrack spacing between adjacentservo tracks depending on the desired embodiment.

Referring again to FIG. 9B, although first and second modules 954, 956each include more than one servo writer element 904, in otherembodiments the modules 954, 956 may be configured such that only oneservo writer element 904 is positioned on one of the modules 954, 956.It follows that, depending on the embodiment, any desired number ofservo writer elements 904 may be positioned on the first and/or secondmodule 954, 956. However, it is preferred that at least a first servowriter element 904 is positioned on the first module 954 and a secondservo writer element 904 is positioned on the second module 956, e.g.,to enable the ability to selectively adjust the spacing between at leastone pair of the servo writer elements.

Furthermore, according to other embodiments, an apparatus may includemore than two modules, each of the modules preferably being coupledtogether by placing actuators therebetween along the longitudinal axisthereof. For instance, an apparatus may include three modules, each ofthe three modules including one or more servo writer elements. Moreover,an actuator may be sandwiched between longitudinal ends of each pair ofthe three modules such that the three modules are coupled together asdescribed and/or suggested herein.

FIG. 11 depicts a method 1100 for controlling the crosstrack spacingbetween servo writer elements, in accordance with one embodiment. As anoption, the present method 1100 may be implemented in conjunction withfeatures from any other embodiment listed herein, such as thosedescribed with reference to the other FIGS., such as FIGS. 8-9. However,such method 1100 and others presented herein may be used in variousapplications and/or in permutations which may or may not be specificallydescribed in the illustrative embodiments listed herein. Further, themethod 1100 presented herein may be used in any desired environment.Thus FIG. 11 (and the other FIGS.) may be deemed to include any possiblepermutation.

Method 1100 includes determining an actual spacing between at least twoservo tracks written on a magnetic tape by at least two servo writerelements. See operation 1102. According to one approach, the actualspacing may be determined using a read position verifier as shown inFIG. 9A. The servo readers positioned on the read position verifier maybe used to determine the actual spacing by examining the timinginformation gathered from the servo track bursts. As will be appreciatedby one skilled in the art, timing information gathered from the servotrack bursts may be used to determine a position of the reader in theservo track along the crosstrack direction by using the velocity of tapeand the time required for the reader to pass from a first servo burst toa second servo burst of a servo frame.

Operation 1104 includes comparing the actual spacing with an intendedspacing between the at least two servo tracks. The timing informationgathered from the servo track bursts may be compared with expectedtiming information which corresponds to the intended spacing. Theintended spacing may be any suitable distance, and may for example bepredefined, selected by the system, specified by a format, set by auser, specified to encode data via the spacing, etc.

Referring momentarily to the servo frame 1200 of FIG. 12, if it takeslonger than anticipated for a servo reader to pass from a first servoburst 1202 to a second servo burst 1204 at a particular tape velocity,the servo reader may be deemed offset in the crosstrack direction 1250from an intended position towards the wide side of the chevron pair asillustrated by Position 1. Alternatively, if it takes shorter thananticipated for a servo reader to pass from a first servo burst 1202 toa second servo burst 1204, the servo reader is offset from an intendedposition towards the narrow side of the chevron pair as illustrated byPosition 2. Accordingly, this information gathered by the servo readersmay be used to compare the actual crosstrack spacing between pairs(e.g., adjacent pairs) of servo tracks with an intended crosstrackspacing between pairs (e.g., adjacent pairs) of servo tracks.

Moreover, this gathered information directly correlates to the actualcrosstrack spacing between pairs of servo writer elements used to writethe servo tracks being examined. Accordingly, with continued referenceto FIG. 11, operation 1106 includes using at least one actuatorsandwiched between the servo writer elements to adjust a distancebetween the servo writer elements of a magnetic head in response todetermining that a difference between the actual spacing and theintended spacing is undesirable, e.g., within a predetermined range,equivalently having a value outside a predetermined range, having anabsolute value above a threshold, equivalently having a value below athreshold, etc., depending on the desired approach.

Again, the crosstrack spacing between each pair of the servo tracks maybe used to encode information. According to one approach, the crosstrackspacing between adjacent pairs of servo tracks may be used to encodeinformation pertaining to a databand positioned between each of thepairs of the servo tracks. In other approaches, other information may beencoded by adjusting the crosstrack spacing between adjacent pairs ofservo tracks as desired. It follows that the intended spacing betweeneach pair of servo writer elements may be used to implement the encodedinformation when the servo tracks are written to tape by the servowriter elements.

Depending on the information encoded by the spacing between each pair ofservo tracks, the intended spacing between pairs of the servo tracks maybe the same, similar and/or different than intended spacing betweenremaining pairs of the servo tracks. In some approaches, the intendedspacing between each pair of the servo tracks may be the same (e.g.,substantially equal) between each of the servo writer element pairs,e.g., when formatting servo tracks on tapes having a tape format withequal spacing between servo tracks. According to other approaches, theintended spacing between at least one pair of the servo tracks may bedifferent than the intended spacing between remaining pairs of the servotracks to distinguish the two from each other, e.g., see FIG. 10.

Method 1100 additionally includes optional operation 1108 which includesusing the at least one actuator to adjust the distance between the atleast two servo writer elements to compensate for tape dimensionalinstability and/or lateral tape movement. Thus, in addition to adjustinga crosstrack distance between the servo writer elements to ensure adesired correspondence between the actual spacing and the intendedspacing between each of the servo writer elements, the one or moreactuators may be used to compensate for tape dimensional instabilityand/or lateral tape movement. Accordingly, the actuators describedherein may be configured to adjust the distance between adjacent pairsof servo writer elements by an offset which is greater than acorresponding extent of tape expansion and/or contraction.

Again, as servo tracks are being written to a magnetic tape, the widthof the tape (in the crosstrack direction) may change based onfluctuations in humidity, temperature, tension, etc. Thus, by adjustingthe distance separating one or more of the servo writer elements as seenin FIGS. 9A-9B, the actuators may be able to compensate for thesechanges in tape width and correspondingly write servo tracks at adesired (e.g., intended) position. Similarly, the effects of tapelateral offsets experienced while tape is being moved over a magnetichead may be overcome by expanding and/or contracting certain ones of theactuators. Tape dimensional instability and/or lateral tape movement maybe determined using a tape edge sensor which optically, mechanically,computationally (e.g., based on a readback signal), etc. determineswhere the edge(s) of tape is/are located at a given point in timerelative to a reference (e.g., an intended tape edge location). The tapeedge sensor may relay that information to a controller, whereby thecontroller may be able to make real-time adjustments to actuators tocompensate for undesirable positioning of the tape edges resulting fromthe tape dimensional instability and/or lateral tape movement.

Adjustments to the distance separating pairs of servo writer elementsmay be performed in real time, e.g., based on information gathered fromthe servo writer elements themselves and/or the servo tracks as they arewritten to tape (e.g., formatted). Moreover, the actuators used arepreferably able to expand and contract fast enough to make real-timeadjustments to the crosstrack separation between adjacent pairs of servowriter elements, e.g., such as piezoelectric actuators. According to oneapproach, a read position verifier (e.g., see 914 of FIG. 9A) may followa servo writer head downstream and read the servo tracks as they arewritten, thereby providing read-while-write functionality. As the servotracks are written, information read by the read position verifier maybe relayed back to a controller where actual and ideal positioning ofthe servo tracks may be compared, e.g., as described above in the methodof FIG. 11. Moreover, adjustments may be made to the actuators in-realtime based on the results of the comparison, thereby achievingimprovements to the position of the servo writer elements duringoperation.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

Moreover, a system according to various embodiments may include aprocessor and logic integrated with and/or executable by the processor,the logic being configured to perform one or more of the process stepsrecited herein. By integrated with, what is meant is that the processorhas logic embedded therewith as hardware logic, such as an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array(FPGA), etc. By executable by the processor, what is meant is that thelogic is hardware logic; software logic such as firmware, part of anoperating system, part of an application program; etc., or somecombination of hardware and software logic that is accessible by theprocessor and configured to cause the processor to perform somefunctionality upon execution by the processor. Software logic may bestored on local and/or remote memory of any memory type, as known in theart. Any processor known in the art may be used, such as a softwareprocessor module and/or a hardware processor such as an ASIC, a FPGA, acentral processing unit (CPU), an integrated circuit (IC), etc.

It will be clear that the various features of the foregoing systemsand/or methodologies may be combined in any way, creating a plurality ofcombinations from the descriptions presented above.

It will be further appreciated that embodiments of the present inventionmay be provided in the form of a service deployed on behalf of acustomer.

The inventive concepts disclosed herein have been presented by way ofexample to illustrate the myriad features thereof in a plurality ofillustrative scenarios, embodiments, and/or implementations. It shouldbe appreciated that the concepts generally disclosed are to beconsidered as modular, and may be implemented in any combination,permutation, or synthesis thereof. In addition, any modification,alteration, or equivalent of the presently disclosed features,functions, and concepts that would be appreciated by a person havingordinary skill in the art upon reading the instant descriptions shouldalso be considered within the scope of this disclosure.

While various embodiments have been described above, it should beunderstood that they have been presented by way of example only, and notlimitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of an embodiment of the presentinvention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplaryembodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the followingclaims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus, comprising: a magnetic head havinga plurality of servo writer elements; and an actuator, the actuatorbeing sandwiched between first and second servo writer elements of theplurality of servo writer elements, the actuator being configured toactively adjust a distance between the first and second servo writerelements.
 2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the firstservo writer element is positioned on a first module and the secondservo writer element is positioned on a second module, wherein servowriter elements positioned on the first module are addressable by afirst common lead and servo writer elements positioned on the secondmodule are addressable by a second common lead.
 3. The apparatus asrecited in claim 1, wherein the magnetic head has at least three servowriter elements, wherein an actuator is sandwiched between each adjacentpair of the servo writer elements.
 4. The apparatus as recited in claim3, comprising a controller configured to adjust a second actuator tocompensate for an effect of expansion or contraction of the actuator. 5.The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the actuator is configuredto adjust the distance between the first and second servo writerelements by an offset which is greater than a corresponding extent oftape dimensional instability and/or lateral tape movement.
 6. Theapparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the actuator is piezoelectricand is configured to adjust the distance between the first and secondservo writer elements by expanding or contracting in response toapplication of a voltage thereto.
 7. The apparatus as recited in claim1, comprising a controller, wherein the controller is configured tocontrol the actuator to compensate for tape dimensional instabilityand/or lateral tape movement.
 8. The apparatus as recited in claim 7,comprising a tape edge sensor, wherein the controller is configured tocontrol the actuator based on data gathered by the tape edge sensor. 9.An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising: a drivemechanism for passing a magnetic medium over the magnetic head; and acontroller electrically coupled to the magnetic head.
 10. A method,comprising: determining an actual spacing between at least two servotracks written on a magnetic tape by at least two servo writer elements;comparing the actual spacing with an intended spacing between the atleast two servo tracks; and using at least one actuator sandwichedbetween the servo writer elements to adjust a distance between the servowriter elements of a magnetic head in response to determining that adifference between the actual spacing and the intended spacing is withina predetermined range.
 11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein anintended spacing between each pair of the servo tracks encodesinformation pertaining to a databand positioned between each of thepairs of the servo tracks.
 12. The method as recited in claim 10,wherein an intended spacing between at least one pair of the servotracks is different than intended spacing between remaining pairs of theservo tracks.
 13. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein an intendedspacing between each pair of the servo tracks is substantially equal.14. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the actuator isconfigured to adjust the distance between the servo writer elements byan offset which is greater than a corresponding extent of tape expansionand/or contraction.
 15. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein theactuator is piezoelectric and adjusts the distance between the servowriter elements by expanding or contracting upon application of avoltage thereto.
 16. The method as recited in claim 10, comprising:using the at least one actuator to adjust the distance between the servowriter elements to compensate for tape dimensional instability and/orlateral tape movement.
 17. The method as recited in claim 16, whereinadjustments to the distance are performed in real time based on thedifference between the actual spacing and the intended spacing.
 18. Themethod as recited in claim 16, wherein a tape edge sensor is used todetermine the tape dimensional instability and the lateral tapemovement.
 19. A computer program product comprising a computer readablestorage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, theprogram instructions readable and/or executable by a controller to causethe controller to: determine, by the controller, an actual spacingbetween at least two servo tracks written on a magnetic tape by at leasttwo servo writer elements; compare, by the controller, the actualspacing with an intended spacing between the at least two servo tracks;and use, by the controller, at least one actuator sandwiched between theservo writer elements to adjust a distance between the servo writerelements of a magnetic head in response to determining that a differencebetween the actual spacing and the intended spacing is within apredetermined range.
 20. The computer program product of claim 19, theprogram instructions readable and/or executable by the controller tocause the controller to: use, by the controller, the at least oneactuator to adjust the distance between the at least two servo writerelements to compensate for tape dimensional instability and/or lateraltape movement.